Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
by IndyGirl89
Summary: How were Anna and Elsa feeling during their long and lonely 13-year separation? What were they thinking? How did they deal with those feelings? This story will delve a little deeper into the minds of the two princesses and reveal more of those feelings. Takes place mostly during the "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" sequence at the beginning of the movie.
1. Chapter 1

**Since my first fanfic got such an awesome response, I thought I'd write another one! I hope you like it as much as you did the other one! Enjoy, and please review! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Frozen or its characters or its songs.**

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Chapter 1

Elsa – 8; Anna – 5

Anna didn't understand _why_ her big sister had to stay locked in her room all the time. As far as she could remember (which wasn't much), Elsa had never been naughty enough to earn a punishment that bad. She once asked her parents why Elsa had to stay in her room, but all they said was that Elsa needed to be alone for a while. Of course, being only five, Anna didn't have much concept of time, and thought that "a while" meant only an hour or two. So later that day, when she saw that the kingdom had been covered with a fresh layer of white, fluffy snow, she excitedly raced across the hall to Elsa's door.

"Elsa?" she called, knocking on the door in rhythm. Too excited to contain herself, she started singing to the closed door.

_Do you wanna build a snowman?_

_Come on, let's go and play._

She slumped against the door, slid down to the carpet, and peeked underneath.

_I never see you anymore._

_Come out the door._

_It's like you've gone away._

She then remembered the day when she had been playing with her dolls (which resembled Elsa and herself) in the ballroom by herself before getting bored and flopping over backwards onto the floor.

_We used to be best buddies,_

_And now we're not._

_I wish you would tell me why._

Finally, she tried peeking through the keyhole in Elsa's door and finished in a goofy voice.

_Do you wanna build a snowman?_

_It doesn't have to be a snowman._

"Go away, Anna," said Elsa's small voice from the other side of the door.

"Okay, bye," Anna sang sadly, and, hurt and confused, walked slowly back to her own room. Sitting on her bed and pouting, she thought about what Elsa had just said to her. She had never told Anna to go away. All the other times Anna had asked Elsa if she wanted to build a snowman, Elsa had been just as excited as she was, maybe even more so because of her special magic, as Anna called it.

Almost close to tears, Anna started twirling the white streak in her hair, something she had recently taken to doing when she was upset about something. Once, she'd asked her parents how she'd gotten it, but they'd just said, "You were born with it." As Anna didn't remember that it had been Elsa's magic that had caused it, she didn't question them. Sometimes, when she was really upset about something or when she'd been sent to her room for being naughty for some reason or another, she'd lay on her bed for hours twirling that same section of hair and staring at the delicate pink flowery pattern on her ceiling, all the while wondering why Elsa refused to play with her.

Anna wished she had friends outside the castle that she could play with. She had never felt so lonely (or bored) in her whole life. True, Elsa had only been locked away for a short time, but to a little girl of Anna's age, it felt like forever, especially when Elsa wouldn't respond to anything Anna asked her to do. But despite Elsa's unresponsiveness, Anna would sit outside her door for hours, talking, singing, telling jokes, or sometimes just sitting in silence, but she knew that Elsa would be sitting right on the other side of the door, listening to everything she was saying.

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Elsa sat on the floor, her back and head resting up against the door, tears sparkling in her eyes. She'd hated shutting Anna out, hated telling her to go away, but it was the only way to protect her. The accident from a few weeks ago was still fresh on her mind, as though it had only happened yesterday. Her only comforting thought was the fact that Anna wouldn't remember anything about that horrible night, the night that would haunt Elsa for the rest of her life.

To distract herself, she walked over to the window and looked out, smiling as she watched the citizens of Arendelle going about their daily activities. She put her hands on the windowsill to try to get a better view, but jerked them back almost immediately, as a thin layer of ice had escaped from her hands and frosted part of the sill. Startled and scared, she called frantically for her parents.

Soon, she heard running footsteps and then a knock on her door. She ran across the room and opened it to find her parents standing there, looking worried.

"Elsa, what is it?" her father asked, kneeling down in front of her so he could look her in the eyes.

"Look!" Elsa cried, and she dragged him over to the window and pointed at the sill, where there was still a fine layer of frost covering it. Her parents looked at it, and then they looked at Elsa, and then they looked at each other, worry still etched on their faces.

"It was an accident, really!" Elsa cried, wringing her hands.

"We know, Elsa," said her father, trying to calm her. "I'm sure we can find something to help you control and contain it better."

Elsa nodded, but she still looked scared.

"Don't worry," her father said soothingly. "We'll find something. In the meantime, just try hard not to touch anything, all right?"

"Okay," said Elsa in a quavering voice, her eyes downcast.

Her parents left, shutting the door behind them. Elsa walked slowly over to it and locked it, trying hard not to let her powers shoot out again in her frightened state. She carefully climbed up onto her bed and sat there with her hands folded. She hoped her parents would hurry with whatever they had for her. They had told her not to touch anything until they came back. But that wouldn't be a problem for her. After what had just happened to the windowsill, she was too scared to touch even a fingertip to any surface.

She sighed. She wished she had been born normal, like Anna, or that Anna had been born just like her. Even her parents had been baffled when they found out that she had been born with snow and ice powers. But they had then put it out of their minds, thinking that it was just something that would disappear after a few years.

But they had been wrong. Very wrong. Of course, when Elsa had been really little, all she'd been able to do was shoot small snowflakes from her hands and fingers. They hadn't been really worried until Anna was born and Elsa had started to entertain her by making little snow flurries in their room. They had tried to warn her about the danger of using her magic around her little sister, but Elsa was too little herself to really understand. It wasn't until the accident in the ballroom that Elsa realized just how powerful and dangerous her magic could be. _You must learn to control it, _the troll had said to her. But just _how_ was she to control it?

As if in answer to her thought, there was a knock on the door. She hurried to open it and found her father on the other side.

"Papa!" she cried, wanting so much to hug him tight, but forcing herself not to, as she was too afraid that she might hurt him.

"I've got something for you," he said, and he pulled from his pocket a pair of small, snow white gloves. "Why don't you come over here and I'll put them on you."

Elsa hesitated. She looked at her hands, then at her father.

"It's all right, Elsa," he said, smiling at her reassuringly. "Nothing's going to happen. I just want to see how these gloves fit."

Elsa walked slowly over to him and extended her hands, which were shaking. Her father knelt down in front of her and gently slipped the gloves on. They fit perfectly over her small hands.

Her father smiled. "The gloves will help," he said, taking her hand in his. "See? Conceal it—"

"Don't feel it," Elsa replied, looking him in the eyes, a small smile on her face.

"Don't let it show," they finished together.

Her father smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "That's my girl," he said and he started for the door.

"Wait, Papa!" Elsa said, startled at his abrupt departure. "Where are you going?"

"There are some important things that I have to take care of," he said, opening the door. "I'll be back to check on you later, okay?"

"Okay," Elsa said quietly, looking at her hands again. She heard a click as the door closed and she was alone once more. She raised her head and looked around the room, searching out a hard surface she could use to test out her new gloves, to see if they'd really help contain her powers. Her eyes landed on her small vanity table. She walked over to it and gingerly brushed the top of it with the tips of her fingers. Nothing happened. She pressed her whole palm to the surface. Still nothing. She raised her hands out in front of her, palms out and fingers spread wide. Again nothing happened. _Maybe they really do help_, she thought. She hugged herself tightly and smiled, her first true smile in weeks.

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**So endeth chapter the first! Hope you enjoyed it! More chapters coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks again for faving and following! It really means a lot to me! Well, here's the second chapter. The ending didn't turn out quite the way I wanted, but I think it's okay. Enjoy, and please review!**

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Chapter 2

Elsa – 12; Anna – 9

It was another cold winter day, but also bright and sunny, perfect for going outside to play in the courtyard or the garden. Anna skipped and twirled merrily down the hall, her braids flying behind her, happy to finally be free from lessons, where she had been fidgeting and squirming all afternoon, itching to go outside and play before it got too dark. At nine, she was still as feisty and spirited as she was when she was five. As the castle was so quiet nowadays, she started humming cheerily to try to fill the silence. She was on her way to Elsa's door to ask her again if she wanted to build a snowman, too happy to care what Elsa might say (or not say).

Not watching where she was going, she almost flew past Elsa's door, but managed to sop herself just in time. After using her familiar rhythmic knock, she again burst into song.

_Do you wanna build a snowman?_

_Or ride our bike around the halls?_

She remembered the other day when she had ridden her and Elsa's tandem bicycle down the stairs and crashed into a suit of armor at the bottom. Luckily, she hadn't been hurt but she had somehow ended up in its arms, where she had posed dramatically, pretending she was a damsel in distress and he was her knight in shining armor.

_I think some company is overdue._

_I've started talking to_

_The pictures on the walls!_

To fill the hours, Anna had lately taken to spending a lot of time in the portrait gallery, dancing around and posing against the portraits she could reach. As Elsa wouldn't talk to her anymore, she'd talk to the portraits. Her favorite was the one of Joan of Arc, which hung above a long, cushioned bench. When Anna was feeling especially lonely, she'd run in, flip herself over the arm of the bench like an acrobat, point to the portrait, and say, "Hang in there, Joan," always with a smile on her face.

_It gets a little lonely_

_All these empty rooms_

_Just watching the hours tick by….._

When the portrait gallery got boring, she'd just lay on her back on the floor, her braids spread out on either side of her head, her legs propped up against the grandfather clock in the corner, flicking her feet from side to side to make it look like she was gently kicking the pendulum back and forth while following it with her eyes and clicking her tongue in rhythm with the ticking of the clock. Sometimes, she'd even get bored with that and would just lay sprawled on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

Anna sighed. Elsa had become even more distant lately. She had stopped telling Anna to go away and now just ignored her whenever she visited. But Anna wasn't discouraged yet. She just kept going back day after day, trying to get her to respond, talking about her day, singing songs, and whatever else she could think of to get Elsa to talk to her. Sometimes, she even slipped her sister little notes, telling how much she missed and loved her and asking her when they'd be able to play again. But she got the same result with the notes as she did with her one-sided conversations: nothing.

If only she knew why Elsa was shutting her out, she wouldn't have to slip her little notes and letters. She again asked her parents why Elsa had to stay in her room all the time, but they just gave her the same answer they gave the first time she had asked, that Elsa needed some time alone. Soon, Anna started getting frustrated, wondering why no one was telling her anything: her parents, Elsa, the few servants they still had. She wanted to be with her sister. Didn't anyone understand that?

No, it didn't seem like they did, and that made her even more frustrated. She was still a young girl who needed a playmate close to her age. Elsa had been her only playmate until she had locked herself away. Now, she had no one. And they didn't seem to care.

Sometimes, she'd look longingly out her window at the citizens of Arendelle, mostly the children, wishing she could go out and play with them, but that would require the gates to be opened, and she knew her parents would never allow that, not while they were still so worried and frightened about Elsa. Everything seemed to be about Elsa these days. Anna always felt a twinge of jealousy when she heard her parents in Elsa's room, talking softly to her. She wouldn't let Anna in, but she would let their mother and father in? It made her so upset sometimes that she would run to her room and slam her door, refusing to come out for hours. She was too big to throw tantrums anymore, so she just cried, cried because she was angry, cried because her sister didn't seem to love her anymore. Sometimes, she just cried for no reason at all.

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Meanwhile, Elsa was frantically pacing around her room, her gloved hands shaking and on the verge of tears, while her parents tried to soothe her. Part of the wall behind her was coated in a thin layer of ice that had accidentally shot out when her emotions escalated.

"I'm scared!" she cried, extending her hands toward them. "It's getting stronger!"

"Getting upset only makes it worse," her father said, starting towards her with his hands outstretched, as if to touch her on the shoulder. "Calm down."

"No! Don't touch me!" Elsa cried, suddenly pulling her hands back. And then, more quietly, "Please. I don't wanna hurt you." Tears started forming in her eyes.

Her mother came up behind her father and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. They exchanged their usual looks of worry and concern. Elsa's powers had gotten much stronger in the past four years, and they continued growing every day. It was getting harder and harder for her to control them. Almost every time they came in her room now, something else would be iced over. At first, this confused them, as Elsa wore gloves all the time now, but they soon found out that she could also use her feet to create ice. But most of the time, it was just her emotions. The stronger her emotions, the more ice she created.

They had also noticed that the separation was taking a toll on Anna's emotions as well. They had begun seeing her outside Elsa's door less and less frequently, from visiting her daily to visiting her only every other day. They hated seeing her so unhappy, but they both still agreed that keeping the two girls separate was the best way to protect Anna. The accident in the ballroom had been such a close call, and they couldn't risk anything like that happening again. What if Elsa were to freeze her heart? They might lose the little girl who made their lives so bright and cheerful.

But Elsa was also in danger. They hadn't isolated her just to protect Anna, but to protect her as well. What would happen if the citizens of Arendelle were to find out she had the power to create ice and snow? Everyone would fear her, just as the troll had said: _Fear will be your enemy._ Now they realized that they were also protecting the citizens of Arendelle. Keeping her isolated was the best thing for all concerned. But then, why did they feel so guilty?

They tried yet again to calm Elsa down, but there didn't seem to be much else they could do for her. So they left, closing the door softly behind them. Little did they know that Anna was standing right behind them, having seen them come out of Elsa's room. Tears were sparkling in her eyes.

"Anna, what's wrong?" her father asked, concern in his voice.

"How come Elsa lets you in and not me?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Her parents looked at each other. They knew Anna would eventually become suspicious. "Because we have important things to talk to her about," her father answered, kneeling down in front of her.

"What things?" Anna asked.

"Just things," her father replied, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Nothing you need to worry about." Then he kissed her on her forehead and he and her mother left, walking away down the hall and out of sight.

Anna's eyes filled with tears as she ran back to her room, slamming her door and kicking it in frustration. They were still refusing to tell her anything! Didn't they trust her? Why did Elsa let them in and not her? What did she ever do to Elsa to deserve this kind of treatment from her? She didn't know how much more she could take of Elsa's silence and refusal to let her in. Maybe she should shut herself away. Her parents wouldn't care. All they seemed to care about nowadays was Elsa: what's best for _Elsa_, how _Elsa_ was doing, what we should do about _Elsa_. No one seemed to care about Anna, and that upset her even more. Lately, she was beginning to feel overlooked and neglected, the useless spare. And there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it.

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**Ugh. Like I said, I wasn't really satisfied with this ending. But I hope you enjoyed it anyway. More chapters coming soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for the faves and follows! They mean a lot to me! Well, here's the third chapter, and I'm sorry there was such a long delay between this one and the previous one. This story has proven to be a little harder to write than my first one, as there's more narration than dialogue. But I hope you enjoy it, and please review!**

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Chapter 3

Elsa – 18; Anna – 15

It was another bright and sunny day. The air was warm, the flowers were blooming, and people were rushing about excitedly in the square. Spring had finally arrived, and the citizens of Arendelle were happily celebrating the end of another long winter. As it was the first mild day in weeks, everyone wanted to spend as much time outside as they could. The mood was so infectious, it spread into the castle, even through the locked gates and closed doors.

Anna was laying on her bed reading, the open window letting in a gentle breeze. After weeks of being stuck inside a stuffy castle, it was a welcome relief. Anna looked up from her book and closed her eyes, letting the breeze play across her face. She lay there for a moment, enjoying it, before suddenly springing up off her bed and racing to her door. She tugged it open and flew out into the hall. Excitement overcoming her, she started skipping and twirling like she used to when she was little. She knew that at 15, she was now too old to be doing that, but she didn't care, and besides, there was hardly anyone around to see her.

Too lost in her excitement, she didn't notice the closed door until she had twirled past it. The closed door with the blue pattern on it. The door that had refused to open for the past ten years. Elsa's door. She stopped with her back against the wall, looked at it for a moment, then raised her hand to knock. But then she remembered why it had been closed in the first place, and lowered her arm. She knew that she would get the exact same reaction she had gotten all the many other times she had knocked: nothing. She sighed and slowly walked away.

She had finally given up on getting Elsa to talk to her. What was the point anymore? Elsa would never talk to her again. She still didn't understand what had happened between the two of them. She had stopped asking her parents about it because they had never given her a straight answer. What had happened that had made Elsa so distant? And why wouldn't she tell Anna about it? Before Elsa's isolation, she and Anna had shared every little secret together. They had been best friends, as Anna had said, in every way possible. They had shared a room, they had sung and played games together, they had done everything sisters (and best friends) would do.

Anna wished she and Elsa could go back to the way things used to be, being best friends and, most importantly, sisters. But judging from Elsa's complete lack of response during the past ten years and her parents' continuous looks of worry and fear, she knew that would never happen again. And that brought a wave of fresh tears. She wanted to be close to her sister again, but didn't know when or if that day would ever come.

She suddenly didn't feel like going outside anymore. What was there to do anyway? Nothing that excited her anymore. At least, not like when she was little. She had always been able to find something to do, but she had done those same activities so much over the past ten years that the fun had worn off. Still, she was sick of being cooped up inside the castle, of not being able to go anywhere or do anything outside the castle gates. She wanted to meet people, travel, have adventures; not sit inside a stuffy castle almost all day, every day.

She went back to her room and slowly and silently closed the door. She leaned against it, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to spill out. She blinked hard a few times to rid her eyes of the blurriness that had started to form in them before she went over to her bed. She laid down on it, staring at the ceiling and absentmindedly twirling the little tuft of white hair at the end of her braid, something she hadn't done for several years, since she was little.

Her thoughts strayed back to Elsa. She pondered the question she had asked herself so many times over the past ten years: why wouldn't Elsa talk to her? What had she ever done to her? Why did she shut her out? Why did she shut the world out? What was she so afraid of? She would never know the answers to those questions, because she had stopped asking questions in general, frustrated with the cryptic responses she always got.

Anna closed her eyes and was just starting to drift off, lost in her thoughts, when she was startled awake by a knock on her door.

"Princess Anna?" said a male voice on the other side of the door. It was Kai, one of the few servants who had been allowed to remain in the castle since the gates had been closed.

Anna walked over to her door and opened it. "Yes, Kai, what is it?" she asked the older man.

"Your highness," he said, bowing. "Your parents will be leaving for their vacation shortly and they've requested your presence to see them off."

Anna gasped. Lost in her thoughts of Elsa, she had completely forgotten that her parents were due to set sail on their 2-week vacation late that afternoon.

"Oh my gosh!" she cried, putting her hands over her mouth. "I completely forgot! Thank you, Kai! I'd better go tell them goodbye right now!" And ignoring Kai's startled look, she raced past him and down the hall.

She found her parents in their room, packing the last of their things in suitcases and trunks. They were both dressed in traveling clothes. She ran to them and gave them hugs.

"See you in two weeks," she said, hugging them tight. "I'll miss you."

"We'll miss you, too, Anna," her father said, hugging her back.

"It won't be the same without you here," she said quietly.

"We'll be back, Anna," her father said, smiling at her.

"I know," Anna said, looking down at the floor. "It's just lonely without you here, what with…." She stopped. She had been on the verge of saying "Elsa". To try to gloss over the awkward moment, she said, "Can I help you pack anything?"

"That's okay, Anna," her father said, picking up his and her mother's cloaks. "We've got everything we need. Kai," he called.

Kai came shuffling in. "Your majesty?" he said, bowing.

"Please tell the footmen that our luggage is ready to be brought down to the ship," the king said.

"Right away," said Kai, bowing again.

Anna followed her parents downstairs to the entrance hall, where she was surprised to find Elsa waiting for them at the foot of the stairs. Having not seen her sister in ten years, Anna hung back, while Elsa also said goodbye. She looked so much different than when they had been little. Her hair was no longer in the simple braid she had had when she was a young girl, but coiled into a tight knot at the base of her neck. She was also more solemn, serious, and reserved, and she stood with perfect posture, with her gloved hands clasped in front of her. When her parents reached her, she curtsied.

"Do you have to go?" she said, her voice a little shaky.

"You'll be fine, Elsa," her father said, smiling at her. "We'll see you soon."

The two sisters, one at the bottom of the stairs and one at the top of the stairs, watched their parents board the ship and sail away, neither knowing that the other had tears in her eyes.

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**I know, it's a bit shorter than the other two and it was originally gonna be longer, but as I kept writing, I realized that I didn't want it to be too long. So I cut off the extra bit I added to this chapter and made it into a separate chapter, which will probably be even shorter than this one. But we'll see. Hope you enjoyed! Last chapter coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for the faves and follows! You guys make me wanna keep writing! Last but not least, here's the final chapter of my second Frozen fanfic. Enjoy, and please review!**

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Chapter 4

Two weeks later

The morning sun shone through the window of Anna's room, bathing the floor in rich, golden light and creeping across her bed. Anna laid fast asleep, her legs tangled in the sheets and her hair spread out across her pillow, the stray wisps on her face fluttering every time she breathed. Suddenly, there was an urgent rapping on the door, rousing her from her sleep.

"Princess Anna?" It was Kai.

"Yeah?" Anna said, in the middle of a big yawn.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said uncertainly.

"No, no, no, you're not," Anna said, sitting up and stretching. "What is it?"

"You're needed downstairs in the entrance hall right away," Kai replied urgently.

"Kai, it's really early," Anna said, yawning again. "Can't it wait?"

"I'm sorry, your highness, it can't," Kai replied briskly. "The captain of the guards wishes to speak with you." He left, his footsteps receding down the hall.

Anna sighed and got out of bed. She went over to her wardrobe and picked out a casual, lightweight dress. She put it on, along with her white stockings and black shoes, brushed and braided her hair, and spritzed a little perfume on her neck before heading downstairs. At the top of the stairs leading down to the entrance hall, she met Elsa. Her platinum blonde hair was still in that coiled bun, and she was still wearing those same gloves she'd been wearing two weeks ago. They walked down the stairs side by side, each avoiding the other's eyes.

The captain of the guard was waiting for them at the foot of the stairs, along with Kai, Gerda, and a few other servants.

"Your highnesses," he said gravely, nodding at each of them in turn. Elsa returned the nod, but Anna, noticing the guard's tone, remained stock still.

"What's wrong?" she blurted before she could stop herself. She corrected herself. "I mean, what did you want to talk to us about?"

"Well, your highness, it's about the king and queen, uh, your parents," the guard answered in that same grave tone. "There was a storm at sea and the vessel they were on was hit by a big wave and capsized." He paused, looking at each of them in turn. "I'm sorry. There were no survivors."

"No!" Anna cried. She clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes filled with tears, and she turned and ran up the staircase, sobbing.

Elsa, on the other hand, hadn't moved at all. "Are—are you sure?" she asked, her voice quivering.

The guard walked up to Elsa and laid a hand lightly on her shoulder. She was too stunned to shrug it off. "I'm sorry," he said again, more gently this time. Then he left, along with Kai, Gerda, and the other servants, leaving Elsa alone.

She sank down to the bottom-most step and hugged her knees tightly. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Her parents couldn't be dead. She refused to believe it. Now who was to teach her to control her powers? Elsa couldn't bear the thought of living the rest of her life without her parents. She had been alone for the past ten years, but now with her parents gone, she felt more alone than ever. At least when she had been alone, they had come to visit her, but now, without them, and without Anna's regular visits, she had no one. And that made her more scared than she had ever felt in her life.

* * *

Meanwhile, Anna lay on her bed, crying loudly into her pillow, not caring that she was getting it wet, not caring that people might hear her. She was completely overwhelmed by grief. How could it happen that her parents, so young, strong, and healthy, could die so suddenly like that? It just didn't seem fair or right. She started thinking that if her parents had stayed home, they wouldn't have died. But how were they to have known? How was anyone to have known?

Anna wondered if Elsa was feeling the same grief she was, and how she was handling the death of their loving parents. It suddenly dawned on her that their death meant that Elsa was now queen, or would soon be queen. She wanted so much to be with her sister, especially now. She wanted to talk to her, hug her, comfort her, and be comforted in return. She didn't want to go through this grief alone, and she was sure Elsa didn't want to, either. She even considered for a moment going to Elsa's door to talk to her, but decided against it, as she knew Elsa would be unresponsive no matter what Anna said to her, especially now, after the tragedy.

She cried for hours, before eventually falling into an uneasy sleep. She had a nightmare about her parents' untimely death. She was on the ship with them when the storm began. The waves crashed against the ship, making it rock and roll and pitch. She was holding onto her parents' hands tightly, trying to get below decks, when a huge wave washed over the deck. Before she knew what was happening, she felt her parents' hands slip out of hers. She screamed their names, but her voice was lost to the howling wind. Another big wave crashed over her, flattening her to the deck. But just as suddenly as the storm had started, it ceased. She looked around, but her parents were gone, lost to the sea. Suddenly, she heard a sharp rapping, and awoke with a start.

She was in her room, still in her bed. The gray light of dawn was creeping through her window. The covers were mussed from her fitful sleep, her braids were loose and coming undone, and tears stained her cheeks. She saw herself in her vanity mirror. She looked a mess.

The sharp rapping came again. Someone was knocking on her door. "Your highness?" said a female voice. The handle jiggled and the door opened, revealing a short, plump, middle-aged woman dressed all in black. It was Gerda.

"Princess, it's time," she said quietly.

"Time?" Anna asked, confused. "Time for what?"

"Your parents' funeral, miss," Gerda answered. "You need to get ready. People have already started gathering." She left, closing the door softly behind her.

Anna dragged herself off her bed, went over to her wardrobe, and pulled out her black mourning dress, cloak, and cap. Once she was changed, she fixed her hair, washed her face, and then slowly made her way outside.

She looked around, and saw a small crowd of people gathered on a grassy hillside overlooking the fjord. Two large slabs of stone stood side by side on top of the hill, each guarding its respective grave. A coffin sat alongside each grave. Gerda saw Anna coming and ushered her to the front, where the minister, an older man of average build, was waiting.

The minister cleared his throat. "Thank you all for coming," he said in a solemn voice. "Today, we celebrate the lives of two extraordinary monarchs. The king and queen had always been respected and held in the highest regard. They served their people with grace, wisdom, and above all, fairness. Because of this, they were loved by the whole kingdom…"

Anna's thoughts drifted off. The words the minster used to describe her parents barely scratched the surface of what they had really been like while alive. Her father had been strong, honest, and loving, and her mother had been kind, gentle, and caring, and both had loved their family, especially their daughters, with all their hearts. But nothing – nothing – could describe the depth of affection Anna and Elsa had held for their beloved parents.

The minister finished his eulogy. He then said a short blessing over the graves before the empty coffins were lowered into the cold, hard ground and covered with fresh dirt. Members of the crowd came up to Anna and offered their condolences before departing, leaving her to walk back to the castle alone.

Though she had been distracted by her thoughts during most of her parents' memorial service, Anna had noticed that someone was missing. Elsa had not come out of her room, even for her parents' memorial service. Anna didn't understand this. Elsa had to be just as saddened and grief-stricken as she was, but why had she remained in her room? Was nothing enough to make her come out?

Anna dispiritedly wandered the halls, passing many closed doors until she came to the one she had been looking for, the one with the blue patterns on it. She stopped in front of it, took a deep breath, and knocked softly.

"Elsa?" she said, just as softly. When there was no answer, she started singing the song she had used so many times to get her sister to come out, the song she had given up singing when she had given up hope. She knew it probably wouldn't work, but she wanted a way to express her feelings, to let Elsa know that she was there for her.

_Please, I know you're in there._

_People are asking where you've been_

_They say "have courage" and I'm trying to._

_I'm right out here for you._

_Just let me in._

_We only have each other._

_It's just you and me._

_What are we gonna do?_

She slid down to the carpet, with her back against the door. She paused, trying to hold back her tears. Finally, in a quivering voice, she asked the old question she had stopped asking years ago, when she had given up hope.

_Do you wanna build a snowman?_

* * *

Little did Anna know, Elsa was sitting right on the other side of the door, sharing in her grief, however silent it might be. Her head resting back against it like Anna's, she looked around her room through tear-filled eyes. It was almost completely unrecognizable. The floor and walls were covered in a thin layer of ice, frost coated every surface, icicles dangled from the ceiling, and a small blizzard hung suspended in midair. In her grief, she had completely frozen her room. Her emotions had escalated so much over the past two days, she was afraid she'd never be able to control her powers, especially now that her parents were gone.

She put her head on her knees, and, unable to hold it in any longer, let the tears flow freely down her face. On the other side of the door, Anna did the same thing. For the first time in ten years, the two sisters shared something with each other – their grief.

* * *

**Well, I hope you enjoyed my second fanfic as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please, please, PLEASE review, and feel free to give me some ideas! Bye for now!**


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